Overcoming the Trauma of Your Motor Vehicle Accident: A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program Therapist Guide (Treatments That Work)

104 Pages·2006·0.42 MB·English

by  Edward J. Hickling

Overcoming the Trauma of
Your Motor Vehicle Accident:
A Cognitive-Behavioral
Treatment Program
Edward J. Hickling
Edward B. Blanchard
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Overcoming the Trauma
of Your Motor Vehicle Accident
--
David H. Barlow, PhD

 
Anne Marie Albano, PhD
Jack M. Gorman, MD
Peter E. Nathan, PhD
Bonnie Spring, PhD
Paul Salkovskis, PhD
G. Terence Wilson, PhD
John R. Weisz, PhD
Overcoming
the Trauma of Your
Motor Vehicle Accident
A COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT PROGRAM
T h e r a p i s t G u i d e
Edward J. Hickling • Edward B. Blanchard
1

1
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Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hickling, Edward J.
Overcoming the trauma ofyour motor vehicle accident :
acognitive-behavioral treatment program, therapist guide /
Edward J. Hickling, Edward B. Blanchard.
p. cm.—(Treatments that work)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-----;----(pbk.)
ISBN---;---(pbk.)
. Traffic accident victims—Rehabilitation—Problems, exercises, etc.
. Cognitive therapy—Problems, exercises, etc. . Traffic
accidents—Psychological aspects. I. Blanchard, Edward B. II. Title.
III. Series.
.
.(cid:1)—dc 
        
Printed in the United States ofAmerica
on acid-free paper
A b o u t Tr e a t m e n t s T h a t W o r k ™
Stunning developments in health care have taken place over the last sev-
eral years, but many of the widely accepted interventions and strategies
in mental health and behavioral medicine have been brought into ques-
tion by research evidence as not only lacking benefit, but also perhaps
inducing harm. Other strategies have been proven effective using the
best current standards of evidence, resulting in broad-based recommen-
dations to make these practices more available to the public. Several re-
cent developments are behind this revolution. First, we have arrived at a
much deeper understanding ofpathology, both psychological and physi-
cal, and this understanding has led to the development of new, more
precisely targeted interventions. Second, our research methodologies have
improved substantially, such that we have reduced threats to internal and
external validity, making the outcomes more directly applicable to clini-
cal situations. Third, governments around the world, as well as health care
systems and policymakers, have decided that the quality of care should
improve, that it should be evidence-based, and that it is in the public’s
interest to ensure that this happens (Barlow, ; Institute of Medi-
cine,).
Ofcourse, the major stumbling block for clinicians everywhere is the ac-
cessibility of newly developed evidence-based psychological interven-
tions. Workshops and books can go only so far in acquainting responsible
and conscientious practitioners with the latest behavioral health care
practices and their applicability to individual patients. This new series,
Treatments That Work™, is devoted to communicating these exciting
new interventions to clinicians on the frontline of practice.
The manuals and workbooks in this series contain step-by-step, detailed
procedures for assessing and treating patients with specific problems and
diagnoses. However, this series also goes beyond the books and manuals
by providing ancillary materials that approximate the supervisory process
in assisting practitioners in implementing these procedures in practice.
In our emerging health care system, the growing consensus is that
evidence-based practice offers the most responsible course of action for
the mental health professional. All behavioral health care clinicians
deeply desire to provide the best possible care for their patients. In this
series, our aim is to close the dissemination and information gap and
make that possible.
This therapist guide and the companion workbook for clients address
the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder due to severe motor ve-
hicle accidents (MVAs) or related events. MVAs are surprisingly com-
mon, resulting annually in personal injury in over  million victims in
the United States alone. However, the physical injuries often have less
impact in the long run than the severe emotional distress, flashbacks,
and substantial impairment in work or family life. Yet, few people seek
treatment immediately, mostly because they are not aware of the nature
of their condition or do not realize that successful brief treatments are
available.
During the past years, we have developed increasingly effective treat-
ments for PTSD, to the point where these interventions compare favorably
to the best psychological treatments for other disorders (Keane & Bar-
low, ). These treatments also have the advantage of proven durabil-
ity after treatment ends, with the added benefit of allowing substantial
reduction or elimination of any medications prescribed prior to this
treatment. The approach described in this manual was developed by two
of the pioneers in this area, with decades of experience in developing
and testing new treatments, and their substantial experience will come
through in the case examples and solutions to the many individual issues
that arise during the course oftreatment. This program is a welcome ad-
dition to our growing list of psychological treatments with empirical
support, when administered by skilled clinicians.
David H. Barlow, Editor-in-Chief,
Treatments That Work™
Boston, MA
vi
C o n t e n t s
Chapter Introductory Information for Therapists 
Chapter Patient Self-Assessment 
Chapter Session  
Chapter Session  
Chapter Session  
Chapter Session  
Chapter Session  
Chapter Session  
Chapter Session  
Chapter Sessions and 
Chapter Session  
Chapter Special Considerations 
References 
About the Authors 
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